Undercover Officer: Dangerous Drug Operation Uncovered In North Charlotte Neighborhood

CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — A North Charlotte neighborhood that has struggled with drug dealing for years is back in the spotlight, after CMPD officers and state agents raided two houses and took six people to jail for felony drug possession.

The raid happened in the Howie Acres community near Sugar Creek Road on Wednesday afternoon. It was the culmination of a 13-month undercover drug investigation.

The investigation started in early April 2010. North Charlotte police worked hand-in-hand with state Alcohol Law Enforcement agents. The ALE committed five agents and an undercover officer to the investigation.

"It's very dangerous. Some of the guys are convicted felons, and they don't want to go back to prison," said one of the ALE agents. He asked Eyewitness News not to use his name or show his face.

Six men were arrested Wednesday afternoon on felony drug charges. ALE Agents made 20 undercover cocaine purchases from them and detailed them for the grand jury last week. The grand jury handed down dozens of indictments.

"A lot of these guys are the street level guys, so they might not be the biggest men on the totem poll, but they're the ones that cause the biggest problems in the community," said ALE agent Josh Batten. "I think we've really made a difference in the neighborhood."

CMPD officers worked with tipsters within the neighborhood to generate leads.

"They've already got a community watch set-up, but they're going to have to be more vigilant with what they're doing," said one ALE agent.

Howie Acres has struggled with street level drug dealing for years. Police put up barricades in September 2009 to make it harder for drug dealers to get in and out. Police saw a 33 percent drop in crime.

But many neighbors were unhappy with the barricades, and police removed them before Christmas.

Eyewitness News asked if the barricades should go back up.

"Anything is a possibility. Between us and CMPD and other city agencies, we'll work and do our best to slow this problem down," said Batten.

"Hopefully this raid will quell the problems for a while. Maybe people will get the message that we're not going to tolerate that," he continued.

The grand jury indicted two other people for felony drug possession. Officers are continuing to search for those two people.

WSOC